1Chapter 11: Broken Identities
Brady flopped down hopelessly in the all to familiar chair in Roman's office. The search of the airport proved useless. The only thing that was accomplished was wasting more time. It would be dawn soon, and still no sign Chloe, Philip, or DiMera, nor any clue as to their whereabouts. They had spotted one person at the airport, but were unable to catch him before he made a quick escape. To Brady, it meant the ultimate defeat. His Diva was gone, only God knows where with an extremely disturbed Philip, and possibly Stefano DiMera. And now there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it! John himself had stated that, if Stefano did indeed have Chloe, Chloe wouldn't be found until he wanted her to be discovered. Hearing his father admit that fact had been a final blow for Brady. And Brady didn't even have the satisfaction of knowing WHY! Of course it was obvious why Philip would take Chloe. He'd only been obsessing about her for the past two years. But why would DiMera want Chloe Lane?
"Why? Damn you DiMera, why?!" Brady yelled. No one was in the office with him at the moment, or so he thought. John, Roman, and the others were discussing what to do outside. Brady believed his question would go unanswered, but Nancy had other plans.
"Brady," Nancy called his name softly, having finally stopped her tears enough to speak. Brady's head shot up, looking in surprise at Chloe's mother. Craig stood behind her, shutting the door for more privacy. Nancy sat down in a similar chair next to Brady, catching the look of pure pain on Brady's face before he was able to hide it. "I... I think I may know why Stefano would want to take Chloe." Nancy said, almost in near whisper. Brady's eyes widened in shock.
"You what? Mrs. Wesley, what are you talking about?!" Brady demanded, a little more sharply then intended. Craig stood beside her, resting a reassuring hand on his wife's shoulder.
"Well, I um... I never wanted to tell anyone this... but... well..." Nancy started, fighting back tears. Brady calmed himself enough to reach over, taking Mrs. Wesley's hand to reassure her he wouldn't be angry.
"Mrs. Wesley, please, whatever it is... please, tell me," Brady said as calmly as he could manage. Nancy chocked back a sob, nodding slightly.
"Alright, I'm sorry, I just... it's hard to deal with and..."
"Mrs. Wesley, I don't mean to sound impatient here... but please, get to the point? If it has to do with Chloe, please, tell me, now."
"I... I know why Stefano would want to take my Chloe. He... he's her father," Nancy whispered. Brady did a double take, hoping beyond hope he heard her wrong.
"What?! Stefano DiMera... that... that man is Chloe's father?!" Brady couldn't help losing his temper. It would make perfect sense, but Brady didn't want to believe such a thing about his Diva. Being fathered by the likes of Stefano DiMera meant that he could always have a hold on you. It was like a death sentence. No matter how strong you were, there was no denying blood.
"Brady, calm down. We're all upset, and it's very hard for Nancy to talk about it," Craig stated, always the voice of reason, despite his own anger, disgust, and worry. Brady took a deep breathe, calming himself as best he could.
"Alright. I'm calm. Now, tell me everything. And I mean, everything. If he has Chloe, and if Chloe's his daughter..." Brady couldn't even finish. Nancy buried her face in her hands, breaking down into tears again.
"I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! If only I had told Chloe about her father... Oh God, and she's with that demented monster Philip too! God, it's all my fault!" Nancy wailed. Brady crouched down in front of her, seeing he wouldn't get any explanations if he couldn't keep his own anger in check and calm Mrs. Wesley.
"Mrs. Wesley, please, there's no time for pointing fingers. What's done is done, but maybe you can help bring Chloe back to us. Please, tell me everything. Everything you know, no matter how insignificant, and start from the beginning," Brady pleaded. Nancy took a moment to calm herself, pulling herself together for Chloe's sake.
"The beginning. Right. Well... there's... there's not a whole lot to tell. I don't... I don't know a whole lot about any of it. My father... he... he made me... he said it was part of an important business deal, said I had to have a child and then give it away to the business associate who was to be the baby's father. I... I didn't want to, but he made me, said I had to do it... and I... I'm so ashamed, I should have fought him... but I went along with it," Nancy rambled. Brady nodded, beginning to understand at least to some extent.
"And Stefano was that business associate?"
"Yes. He... uh... I... I did get pregnant... and I had twins..."
"Twins?!" Brady was thrown into a new level of shock, but this little surprise really shouldn't have shocked him. It's Salem, a little town full of lies, deceit, and secrets. Nancy nodded solemnly.
"Yes, twins. Chloe of course, and then Aida. My father's deal was that Stefano would take one child. He choose Aida. Then my father made me put Chloe up for adoption. I... I never wanted to give either of them up! Oh, my precious Aida... she's had to live with that awful man her whole life! I can only imagine what kind of person Stefano has made her! And now, he has Chloe too!" Nancy wailed.
"Mrs. Wesley, do you know where Stefano took Aida when he left? Maybe that's where he has Chloe now." Brady inquired. Nancy shook her head.
"No, I have no clue. He just took her and left. I didn't even... I didn't even get to see her to say goodbye! He just took her... he just took my baby away from me," Nancy repeated, obviously shaken. Brady, unable to give the woman the emotional support he knew only perhaps Craig could give, nodded and stood, taking out the keys to his jeep.
"I need to find Nancy's father, he may know where Stefano took Aida. I'll bet that, if we find out where he took her, we'll find out where he's taken Chloe," Brady said to Craig. Craig nodded, grabbing a pen and paper pad from Roman's desk and writing the address down for Brady.
"He lives about an hour or so out of town. Here's the address, and some directions. Do you want me to show you there, or..."
"No, I can make it. You stay here, help Mrs. Wesley. And explain to my dad and Roman what you just told me and where I'm going," Brady interrupted. Craig nodded, handing Brady the slip of paper. Brady took it and headed for the door. He paused, placing a hand on Nancy's shaking shoulder.
"I made you a promise I'd bring her back to you. Brady Black always keeps his promises," Brady said quietly before leaving the room. He brushed passed his father, who demanded to know what was going on and what Nancy and Craig had just told him. Brady merely called out to his father to talk to the Wesley's before disappearing out to his jeep. He would keep his promise to Mrs. Wesley. And God help the fool who tried to stop him from retrieving not only his Diva, but Nancy's lost daughter, Aida...
Victoria watched wordlessly as a once again handcuffed Chloe and a sickeningly bright and cheery Philip were lead into the elevator. After their plane arrived, and Chloe had been handcuffed again, all of the party, including Lexie, who was all too pleased to flee the country with her beloved father, had been ushered into yet another limousine, with Bart as the driver once again. All were in the limo for another two hours as Bart drove deep into the Von Amburg estate in Europe, taking them all to an extraordinarily large mansion. But it was not the mansion that was Stefano's destination, but the secret catacombs that lay deep beneath the grounds, concealing yet another laboratory for Stefano's evil plans. It was in this mansion and the catacombs below that Victoria had been raised and trained, brought up to be the next Gina Von Amburg in Stefano's art thefts, and many such related endeavors. Victoria, unlike Gina, had to work her way into the elite circles of Europe. She didn't have the title of Princess, but she held the DiMera name, and wore it well enough to be immediately excepted. Victoria eyed Philip wearily. She already despised him, no matter how pleased her father would be to have him in on his plans. He was utterly useless, Victoria could sense that much. Philip was no more then a common psychopath. Such a ruthless, emotionless killer wasn't of any use, not even to Stefano DiMera. Such creature's could rarely, if ever, be controlled. She felt very apprehensive about all this. Chloe wouldn't so much as look at any of them. She kept her eyes trained on the floor and merely allowed Rolf to lead her around roughly by the arm.
"Father, those handcuffs are not necessary," Victoria stated. Stefano pressed the button to close the elevator doors and started them on their way down.
"I will tell you what is necessary and what is not, daughter," Stefano said firmly. Victoria nodded, knowing it was useless. She knew her father best of all those whose lives had been effected by DiMera. It was the undeniable truth when Stefano called her his "Shining Star." Victoria was raised hearing all of Stefano's plans, hell even giving encouragement or advice. Victoria felt more and more self loathing each day, all of her life, as she grew to know what was right and what wasn't. And Stefano DiMera was definitely not a good man. Good to his children, in a twisted sense, perhaps. It disgusted Victoria that she had become no better then her half sister Alexandra, becoming a pawn in Stefano's games. But for Victoria, there was no way out. She was bound to Stefano, in a way none of his other children had been before her. Victoria sneered at Philip as the idiot began whistling in his obvious boredom. But as was the usual case, Philip remained blissfully unaware of the hatred radiating off Victoria. Upon reaching the catacombs, Rolf immediately dragged a no longer protesting Chloe out of the elevator, motioning for Philip to follow him. Victoria grabbed Rolf's arm, instantly recognizing his destination.
"Father, no. You promised!" Victoria protested. Rolf shook Victoria's grasp off. He never did like the girl; far too independent to be useful to the DiMera organization. She showed a "loyal" face. But underneath her so called affection for her father, Rolf always believed there was a snake, lying in wait to bite the hand that had given it life.
"I made no such promise, daughter. I will do what needs be done. Rolf, you know what I want you to do," Stefano said. Rolf nodded, leading a blissfully unaware Philip and a sadly resigned Chloe off and away from Victoria. Victoria spun to face her father as the elevator closed and Lexie stepped up to stand beside Stefano.
"Father, you can't! What good will it do you to have a daughter if you have to force her to accept you!" Victoria demanded. Stefano merely smiled at her outburst, waving off her anger.
"Your sister is not like you, my dear. She was not raised with your instincts, not taught all you know. I shall have to remedy that the only way I know how. I shall have my family standing tall beside me. No one will keep me from that goal," Stefano said challengingly. Victoria looked over her shoulder, gazing sadly in the direction Rolf had taken her estranged sister. "You do want her in your life, do you not?"
"Of course, father! I've waited my whole life to find her!" Victoria answered, turning to face her father again.
"Then you must know, my dear sister, that Chloe will never accept you as she is now. She'll turn away from you. She's already shown you that. No matter how pure your intentions, how deep your love for her... Chloe Lane could never have love in her heart for Victoria DiMera. Don't think I didn't notice you trying to get her attention. To her now, you're just a monster. Don't question our father's judgment, Victoria. He knows best. He takes care of us," Lexie stated proudly. Stefano smiled approvingly, placing his hands on Victoria's shoulders.
"Yes, my precious daughter. I take care of all our family. Your needs are the most important to me," Stefano stated, sealing the deal. Victoria would cave, as she always did. She nodded, defeated. "Now then. Take this. Elizabeth won't be needing these things any longer," Stefano stressed the name Elizabeth, holding out Chloe's duffel bag. Victoria got his meaning instantly, but rather then letting her obvious turmoil show, she took the bag and departed to her own room within the underground laboratory, leaving a victorious Stefano to bask in all his glory with his most devoted and clueless daughter.
Victoria silently made her way passed a few men in white lab coats down many equally white hallways to her room, locking the door behind her. She placed Chloe's duffel bag down on her bed, sitting beside it and pulling down this zipper to exam the last ruminants of Chloe Lane. Mostly, all that was to be found were clothes, obviously shoved into the bag in a hurry. She did come across a framed picture which Philip had intentionally put in among Chloe's things. Victoria tossed it aside in disgust, surveying the picture of her twin sister in a sexy red dress with Philip's arms wrapped around her. Then she came across another small photo album, which Philip had thrown in accidentally in his haste because it had been hidden under some "unmentionables." A smile graced Victoria's perfect lips as she held the little photo album in her hands. The frame around it was silver, little circles imprinted in the design. The picture displayed in front was of Chloe, and a perky blond, Belle Black, their arms wrapped around each others necks in a friendly pose. Victoria wished she had such memories as high school dances, first dates, kisses, and hanging out with friends. But that had been, and perhaps always would be denied to her. All Victoria had ever known were Stefano's many "associates" and other assorted employees. And only two of those had meant anything to her. Though she had been allowed some very special memories with them, they were far from "normal," something she longed for.
Victoria sighed, opening the photo album to reveal the other photos inside. She found more of Chloe and Belle, and some of a handsome dark headed young man, Shawn Brady. The third photo caught Victoria's attention quickly. It had apparently been taken in a bowling alley, and displayed Chloe, a tall dark headed man, Craig Wesley, and a shorter, slightly plump woman, Nancy Wesley, on either side of her. Victoria trailed her finger along the shorter woman's face, knowing instantly she was her mother. Victoria had seen no pictures, heard no stories, hadn't even the name of her estranged mother, but she instantly knew when she saw the photo that this was most definitely her birth mother. Victoria turned the page quickly before a tear could escape down her cheek. Emotion was weak, or so her father taught her. The last few photos were of a tall, handsome blonde, Brady Black. She removed the last photo, taken at what appeared to be a beautiful gazebo, and turned it over, hoping for a name to identify the mystery man, who's eyes even in photograph could penetrate into your soul. None of the others had had any writing, but this one did. Written in black ink were the words "To the almighty Diva. One day, it will be me asking for YOUR autograph. Hope you remember me when your singing your heart out at the Met. Brady Black." Victoria found herself smiling, even laughing at the words written by Brady.
"That's rather rich, dear sister. A Black, wouldn't father be so pleased," Victoria said aloud to herself. Actually, Victoria herself was very pleased. Even though her own painful fate was sealed, perhaps Brady Black would be the key to assuring Chloe's protection against Stefano DiMera. Victoria replaced the picture into the album, closing it and laying it down on her beside table. She searched through the blue duffel bag again, looking for anything else of any significance before she took it to her closet, tossing it into the back. She then retrieved the photo album, taking it with her through the bathroom and into what was used as her training room. She went to a trunk where weapons only she was allowed to access were kept and opened it, lifting up the only gun not strapped down to reveal a tiny, barely visible tab. She pulled up the false bottom, all her items staying in place thanks to the wonderful invention of Velcro, and placed the photo album gently down among the only possessions Victoria would ever care about. A locket which she had been told was her mother's, a few letters from a childhood friend which she had been taken from as well, newspaper clippings of "normal" living, and of course, the most important item, next to her mother's locket. Her real birth certificate.
After placing the photo album down, Victoria gently removed the treasured birth certificate. Just as Chloe's photos were the last ruminants of her life as Chloe Lane, this little piece of paper was the only proof that Aida Kristen Miller had ever existed. That's who she really was, deep down and buried beneath the person which Stefano himself had molded since birth. But from the moment she arrived in Europe, Aida Kristen Miller was dead, and Victoria Amarice DiMera had taken her place. Victoria held the yellowing piece of paper close to her breast, finally allowing a tear to flow down, showing that the so called hardened DiMera wasn't emotionless at all.
"Why? Why did you give me up, mother?" Victoria whispered. She'd never known the whole truth. Stefano only told her what he wanted her to think. She never would believe that her mother would have willingly given her up to this hell. She couldn't. If she were to ever find out that her mother had in fact given her up willingly to this empty, cruel life, that just might break the last tie the troubled young woman had to her true identify of Aida Kristen Miller...